Chicago Baconfest 2012: "Bacon Gives Me a Lardon"

I know: It's dreadful to think about. It wasn't until the fifth grade at a friend's sleepover when the magic happened. Her mom fried up turkey bacon, which I liken to a gateway drug of sorts. There was no turning back.

So to say I jumped at the opportunity to go to the third annual Chicago Baconfest would be a huge understatement. (Leapt? Cried for? Gave up my first-born?) My foodie partner-in-crime Ben and I hauled a camera, a notebook, and empty stomachs to UIC forum on Saturday evening. From candied bacon and bacon vodka to t-shirts with funny sayings like "Bacon Gives Me a Lardon," Baconfest 2012 did not disappoint Chicago pork lovers. Below, a slideshow of what we saw.

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Baconfest April 14, 2012

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Outside, we met Rob, Andrew, and Brent Rosen, who are definitely not kosher. They've been to every baconfest -- and had customized shirts every time. "The first year, the shirts said 'Bacon: Everything else is just a condiment'," they told us.

Once inside, we rushed to the Girl & the Goat's stand. Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard served up a salmon soup with bacon crisps that were a little bit like corn flakes. "We wanted to do something crunchy," she said.

Full disclosure: I love love love dessert. So some of my favorite dishes from the night found great ways to combine sweet with the salt of bacon. Rosebud Steakhouse's candied bacon cannolis were among the top picks.

I couldn't stop raving about Townhouse's bacon doughnut holes, and it wasn't just because I had drunk a couple "bakon" cocktails already. The bourbon-pecan glaze was nice and sticky, and the doughnut was cakey but not smooshy. Combined with that light, creamy gelato? Take me now, girlfriend.

Speaking of gelato, Jessica Oloroso's whiskey bacon pops were high up on the best desserts, too. Her Ukranian Village shop regularly serves adventurous gelato flavors, so it was no surprise that these little balls were a wonderful mesh of flavors.

Ben loved the gelato pops so much that he saved a little in his mustache! Kidding. Sort of.

We couldn't leave without hitting up Atwood Cafe's "Willy Wonka meets Bacon" station. Three words: Bacon Pop Rocks. As a child of the '90s and also as a human being who really freaking loves bacon, the pop rocks had a surprisingly calming effect on my psyche. Chef Derek Simcik was pretty fun, too. He humored us with this slab of pork when we asked him to "look like he's having fun."

By the end of the night, Ben and I could take no more food. We ended up sitting in a corner of UIC forum, chugging Diet Coke and water. We were not the only ones to start camping. As one patron put it: "People are wounded. Everyone is in a bacon coma."